The Best American Short Stories

The Best American Short Stories is the longest-running and best-selling series of short fiction in the country. Each year, Heidi Pitlor works with a different guest editor to select the best twenty short stories that were published in print and online magazines. We’ve nominated:

  • Krista Bergren-Walsh, “Non-profit was the Vampire that Drained Me,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 4 (Autumn 2022), pgs 32-33
  • Mary Liza Hartong, “Of a Feather,” All My Relations, Volume 3 (Belonging), pgs 10-21
  • Tarunika Kapoor, “the home that we built,” All My Relations, Volume 3 (Belonging), pgs 28-40
  • Waverly Woldemichal, “Black Mermaids,” All My Relations, Volume 2 (Colonization & Decolonization), pgs 22-24
  • Zary Fekete, “Children’s Clinic,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 4 (Autumn 2022), pgs 38-39

The Pushcart Prize Nominations

The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, is “The Most Honored Literary Series in America,” publishing poetry and prose from indie publishers throughout the year. We’ve nominated:

  • A. Coghlan, “Meeting the Wounded Boy from the Canal Zone,” All My Relations Volume 2 (Colonization & Decolonization), pgs 15-21
  • Cheryl Aguirre, “Elegía para papá,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 3 (Summer 2022), pg 5
  • Rex Ybañez, “Transitory Static,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 1 (Winter 2022), pg 7
  • Tangela Williams-Spann, “Catharsis,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 2 (Spring 2022), pgs 6-7
  • Zoha Sh., “Our Grandmothers Know Grief,” All My Relations, Volume 3 (Belonging), pgs 24-25

The PEN America Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers Nominations

The PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers recognizes 12 emerging writers each year for their debut short story published in a literary magazine, journal, or cultural website, and aims to support the launch of their careers as fiction writers. The 12 winning stories are selected by a committee of three judges who are well-respected experts in the art of the short story. We’ve nominated:

  • Chloe Feffer, “The Convergence,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 3 (Summer 2022), pgs 36-37
  • Krista Bergren-Walsh, “Non-profit was the Vampire that Drained Me,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 4 (Autumn 2022), pgs 32-33
  • Tarunika Kapoor, “the home that we built,” All My Relations, Volume 3 (Belonging), pgs 28-40

Best of the Net Nominations

The Best of the Net is an awards-based anthology (created by Sundress Publications) designed to grant a platform to a diverse and growing collection of writers and publishers who are building an online literary landscape that seeks to break free of traditional publishing. This space has been created to bring greater respect to the continually expanding world of exceptional digital publishing. The work nominated must have been first published between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. We’ve nominated:

For Poetry:

  • Palaces P., “You Said That You’d Take a Bullet for Me, But You Wouldn’t Even Take a Look at My Fucking Novel,” The B’K Volume 12, Issue 3 (Summer 2021), pg 29
  • Kendra Nuttall, “Love Stories (Or, an Accidental Ad for the Five Love Languages®),” The B’K Volume 12, Issue 4 (Autumn 2021), pg 22
  • Katharine Blair, “Ter·ra·form·ing,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 1 (Winter 2022), pg 5
  • 婕 Venus Cohen, “THE FUTURE.” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 1 (Winter 2022), pg 6
  • Noa Saunders, “Bob Ross and Chill,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 1 (Winter 2022), pgs 16-17
  • sloane angelou, “this madness is mine to keep,” The B’K Volume 13, Issue 2 (Spring 2022), pg 15

For Fiction:

  • Avra Margariti, “Unbirthday,” The B’K Volume 12, Issue 3 (Summer 2021), pgs 10-11
  • Ra’Niqua Lee, “Of Pork and Pedagogy,” The B’K Volume 12, Issue 3 (Summer 2021), pgs 12-13

For Non-fiction:

  • Fefe, “river tides,” All My Relations, Volume 1, pgs 12-13
  • Charlie D’Aniello Trigueros, “On being caught by ICE and caged,” All My Relations, Volume 2, pgs. 6-9

For Artwork:

  • Emily Schanowski, “Uncanny Deer,” The B’K Volume 12, Issue 3 (Summer 2021), cover
  • Aaron Hahn, “Unbearable Weight of Dreams,” The B’K Volume 12, Issue 3 (Summer 2021), cover